SILVERTHORNE- Tucked away in the mountain town of Silverthorne lies a yearly tradition. Every year, lovers of the game of hockey come together to spend a weekend outdoors, playing on a pond.
Hockey's roots began on the pond. The Pabst Blue Ribbon Colorado Pond Hockey Tournament seeks to bring back the nostalgia, at least for one weekend.
"This is where it started," tournament director David Janowiec said. "They didn't have indoor ice rinks back in the day. It's just a different type of hockey."
That's because the ice can be unpredictable. Nature's ice rink isn't nearly as smooth or hard as what you would find in an indoor rink. In addition, often times you have a bright blue sky and clouds illuminating your game, rather than the florescent lights of your typical arena.
"There's something about playing outside," former West Point forward Daniel Colvin said. "You did it like that as a kid, and it still feels like that when you lace up the skates and get out here."
The tournament had humble beginnings. Janowiec and his friends began the tournament after getting together just to play the game.
Since its inception, the tournament has grown yearly. Now, tournament organizers cap off the number of teams at 150, each with four to six players. A dozen rinks cover North Pond, where the games are hosted. Janowiec says it makes for a better time for everyone playing.
"We want it to be a unique, intimate mountain experience," Janowiec said. "Over 60 percent of the teams come from out of state. I would say every team that's here is a reunion."
Players, teammates, move apart over time. Life happens, but this tournament allows those friendships to come together and experience – for a while – what brought them together in the first place.
"That bond that we formed on that hockey team at West Point is second to none," Colvin said.
"We don't really get the chance to get together very often, being in the army and everything," former West Point goaltender Joe Spracklen said. "It gets us back and reunites teammates."
The love of the game brings people back year-after-year. The tournament typically sees a 70% return rate on teams each year. Janowiec says some will sign up two weeks after the tournament ends for the next season.
"It's a brotherhood, a sisterhood," he explained. "That's what I love about this. Everybody is hanging out and giving high fives."
"Hockey brings people together."
In addition to the fun, the tournament also serves a humanitarian effort. Proceeds from the tournament to go Dawg Nation. This organization was developed by hockey players for hockey players. Players going through hardship can apply for financial help in times of catastrophic injury or illness.
The tournament finishes on Monday, with the five divisions hosting their championship games. Each season, there is also a spirit award handed out to the team that best embodies the essence of the pond hockey tournament.
(KUSA-TV © 2015 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
